The following article was published in Island Life and was written by Bill Connollee.
Kiawah Island Turtle Patrol
Like all of the South Carolina Turtle Projects, Kiawah Island has already begun its patrol of eight miles of beach using more
than 100 volunteers.
The nesting phase is monitored by a four member team at dawn each morning in a
four-wheel drive truck provided by the Town of Kiawah Island, which funds the entire operation.
We anticipate more than 200 nests this year, following 240 last year, and 262 in 1999. In July, the nesting patrols will be joined
by the hatching crews that monitor the nests and report hatching activity.
This is a walking patrol of usually two to four members, who walk zones of the beach each morning, looking for signs of
hatching.
Education programs are given as slide presentations one evening a week with demonstrations of nesting and hatching on
the beach two mornings a week.
The lighting patrol is vigilant for intrusive lights on the beach at all times.
The Kiawah Island Turtle Patrol has been active for more than 30 years, and with the great support and enthusiasm of our
residents and guests continues to serve the turtles very well.
This article was reproduced here with the permission of Island Life, LJC Communications. (June 2001, Volume 2, Issue 6